Baby Troubles
by OutsidersSlashLover
Summary: Darry assigns a little project for his two kid brothers. Pony soon gets attached to this new little "addition." See what happens!
1. Chapter 1

Darry walked into the living room through the kitchen, holding what looked like a baby. Sodapop, who was on the couch, and Ponyboy, who was in the armchair, looked up. They saw that the baby was… fake? A doll? What the hell would Darry want with a baby doll?

"Goin' somewhere with that doll, Darry?" Soda asked jokingly. Pony laughed a bit.

Darry smirked. "No, little buddy, you are." He responded, shoving the doll in Soda's arms, seeming to enjoy every minute of it. Soda quickly handed it back.

"Uhh… no I ain't.." He looked over at Pony, cocking an eyebrow.

Ponyboy sat up in the armchair and watched curiously.

"You two are takin' care of the baby doll." Darry said, looking over at Pony and then back at Soda.

"Darry, I gotta work. I don't got time to be parentin' some doll." Soda argued. Pony nodded.

"I ain't takin' care of a doll, especially not alone." He snapped, turning on the TV. Darry immediately switched it back off and glared at his two kid brothers.

"I never said this was a debate. You're doin' it whether you two like it or not." The eldest brother snapped sternly.

The two boys sighed, but they saw that Darry was serious. Ponyboy was the first one who broke and simply nodded his head, still not wanting to do the little project. Soda was still hesitant on the whole subject.

Darry glanced over at Soda.

"How long do we have to do it?" Soda asked, not making eye contact with his older brother.

Darry looked as if he were thinking hard about it. A small grin appeared on his lips.

"Three months." He said, a smirk curling across his lips.

"THREE MONTHS?!" Soda yelled, jumping off the couch.

Darry simply handed Soda the doll and, without another word, strolled off into the kitchen.

Soda threw the doll down on the floor. "I ain't doin' this shit for three months! He's crazy if he thinks I am!" He said, crossing his arms.

"Calm down, Soda." Pony said, smiling sweetly at his lover. "We can do this, no sweat. 'Sides, it's only a doll."

Soda looked into Pony's eyes before taking a deep breath and nodding. "Why the hell not." He said, picking up the doll. "D-Do we name it?" He asked curiously, stuttering a bit.

"Um, yeah… I guess." Ponyboy said, looking at the realistic-looking doll. He put his hand on Sodapop's shoulder before shouting, "I CALL BEIN' THE DADDY!"

Soda gave Pony one look up and down and smirked to himself. "But you call me daddy all the time." He chuckled under his breath. Pony's face automatically flushed bright pink.

Soda stood up and grabbed Pony's small waist.

"Need me to prove it?" He smirked.

"N-No, D-Darry's home." Ponyboy stuttered, his face turning even more pink.

Soda pushed his lips to Pony's neck. He could sense Pony's hesitation.

"You know, we can't hide this from Darry forever." He said, sitting down and pulling Pony into his lap.

"We can sure try, though." Pony mumbled.

Soda looked at his lover, sympathy in his eyes. He knew it weighed on Pony because he never wanted to disappoint Darry. Darry would never approve of them.

Ponyboy looked down at the doll and mumbled, "Can we at least make him proud by doin' this?"

Soda kissed Pony's forehead and nodded. "Of course." He whispered in his lover's ear.

The two heard the sound of Darry's footsteps. Pony jumped off Soda's lap and back onto the chair.

"Did you guys figure it out?" Darry asked.

"We'll do it." Pony coughed up, his cheeks still red. When Darry wasn't looking, Soda winked at Pony. The 14-year-old couldn't help but smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Soda had his arms wrapped tightly around Pony. Ponyboy smiled slightly in his sleep. Well, that is, until the doll started screaming and crying. Soda groaned and covered his ears with his pillow.

"Pony. Baby. Please get that." He muttered in his sleep.

Ponyboy was sound asleep though.

"Pony!" Soda groaned louder. Ponyboy's eyes finally fluttered open and he sat up. "You could've gotten it." He grumbled.

Pony walked over to the makeshift crib, which was actually just two chairs pushed together, and picked up the doll. "What do I do now?" He asked Soda.

Sodapop was already fast asleep, so it was just Ponyboy and the crying doll. "Uh.. shh.. you're okay." He said, unsure of what he should do.

The doll just kept crying, so Pony decided to do what he saw on TV with moms and their babies. He started to rock the screaming baby in his arms, swaying back and forth, back and forth over and over, not knowing when to stop.

The baby continued to scream.

"Damn it, Soda! Wake up!" Ponyboy said, slightly stressed. When his lover didn't budge, Ponyboy started thinking about a TV show he had seen. Slowly, he started swaying his hips and rocking the baby. The doll's cries gradually disappeared and Pony felt proud of himself, grinning from ear-to-ear because he felt like a proud mother.

"Get back to bed." Soda groaned sleepily, missing his bedmate. Ponyboy put the baby in the makeshift crib and crawled into bed. Soda rewrapped his arms around him, smiling as Pony curled up to him like a baby kitten curling up to its mother for warmth. And with that, they both fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Soda started to fall back asleep, but as soon as he did, his alarm started ringing. His eyes flashed open and he yawned in exhaustion. He turned off the alarm so it wouldn't wake his lover.

Pony barely budged when Soda got up for work. Soda groaned tiredly as he walked into the bathroom. Soon, the house would be filled with people and he and Pony would have to go back to acting like there was nothing between them.

He knew he wasn't going to get a good morning kiss because Pony was fast asleep. He smiled at how peaceful Pony was when he slept. He turned on the shower and took a fast one. The front door opened and he heard Two-Bit, Steve, Johnny, and even Dally file inside.

Soda got out of the shower and started his morning routine. As soon as he was dressed and in the living room talking to the gang, the baby started crying.

"What the hell is that?" Dally asked, laughing.

"Goddamn it." Soda sighed.

He walked back into the bedroom and grabbed the baby so it wouldn't wake Pony up. He smiled at his still-sleeping brother/lover and walked back out to the living room, cradling the doll as if it was a real baby. He could hear the gang laughing. "This was Darry's smart idea, not mine." He snapped frustratedly.

"Well, aren't you a hormonal mommy!" Two-Bit laughed. Soda glared and rocked the doll, trying to get it to stop crying.

"Goddamn it! It won't shut up!" He yelled angrily. Ponyboy walked up to Sodapop, groggily grabbing the doll from him and walking into the kitchen and making a bottle and giving it to the doll. Soda couldn't help but smile.

The gang looked at Pony like he had lost his mind.

"How'd ya'll know that's what the doll wanted?" Johnny asked in awe. Pony tiredly shrugged.

"Go back to bed, Pony." Soda instructed.

Ponyboy handed the doll back to Sodapop and stumbled back into the bedroom. Soda followed behind him. He closed the door behind him and locked it just so he could give Pony a goodbye kiss.

"I'm goin' to work." He said, kissing his tired lover gently.

"Bye, baby." Pony mumbled as he fell back asleep. Soda kissed his forehead gently, and then unlocked the door and walked back out to the living room.


	4. Chapter 4

Soda walked in through the door only to find Darry and Pony arguing about Pony's report card. The boy rolled his eyes and walked into the kitchen, finding the doll in an old carseat that used to belong to him when he was a little one.

He smiled a bit. It sure looked cute when it was sleeping…

"Well, who the hell says I wanna go to college, anyways?!" Ponyboy yelled, snapping Soda out of his little trance. He heard their bedroom door slam.

Darry sighed and glanced over at Soda. "Your turn to make dinner tonight." He said calmly, sitting down in the armchair. Soda nodded, taking the sleeping baby out of the carseat carefully and walking into the bedroom.

"Pony? You okay, baby?" He asked, lying down next to his lover. Pony looked up, his face tear-streaked. Soda sympathetically stroked his cheek, kissing him.

"I'm sorry, honey… I know Darry sometimes gets a little tough on ya for your grades, but ya gotta remember that he just wants you to do good in school so you can get a scholarship and go to college, help him with the bills and stuff." Pony sniffled.

"Well, who says I wanna go to college?" He snapped softly, turning his body around so he could face his lover a little better. Soda's lips curled into a small smile.

"Babe, no one's forcin' ya to go."

"It sure seems like Darry is…"

"Pony, baby, Darry only wants you to go to college 'cuz he never got to." Soda responded softly, wrapping his arms around the fourteen-year-old.

"Those are his dreams, not mine." Pony mumbled into his older brother/lover's chest.

Soda sighed, kissing the top of his head. "I know.." He said, not knowing how to cheer his little Pony up anymore.

They both fell asleep, the baby doll inbetween them.


	5. Chapter 5

The baby surprisingly slept quietly throughout the night. Soda's alarm woke him up, not the baby.

Soda turned off the alarm and moved the baby to the makeshift crib. He walked back over to Pony, kissing him softly.

"Wake up, baby." He said, his voice husky from having just woken up. Pony's eyes fluttered open. He looked over and saw that the baby wasn't there.

"W-Where is he?" He asked, suddenly starting to look panicked, just as a real mom would.

Soda smiled a little. "He's in his crib, baby." The 16-year-old responded, trying to calm his panicked lover. Darry suddenly walked in.

"Alright, you guys. Got a name picked out for your 'son'?" He asked, putting airquotes around "son."

"Don't put air quotes around son! He's my baby! His name happens to be Toby!" Pony snapped. He was already frustrated with Darry and his putting air quotes around the word 'son' just pissed him off more.

Darry's eyes widened a little and he looked at Soda, cocking an eyebrow. Soda shrugged in response.

That was when Toby woke up, luckily for Pony. He glared at Darry before going over and picking the baby up, kissing the top of his head.

"You know that's a doll... right?" Darry asked.

"Shut the hell up!" Pony snapped again, bouncing the crying doll in his arms.


	6. Chapter 6

1 MONTH LATER…

~*~*~

"I'm droppin' outta school." Ponyboy said. "I need to take care of baby Toby 24/7 and I can't go to school no more. It's a distraction."

Darry's eyes widened and he looked like he was going to pounce on the 14-year-old. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?!" The 20-year-old yelled.

"I said I'm droppin' outta school." Pony said slower, walking into the kitchen and picking up the baby. He sat down in the armchair, smiling down at his 'baby'. Darry clenched his teeth tightly, slightly biting his tongue to keep from exploding in anger.

"Soda!" The furious 20-year-old said, teeth clenched.

"What?" Soda came walking up to Darry.

"Fix him now!" Darry demanded, pointing a finger at Pony.

Soda sighed and walked over to his boyfriend, holding his arms out. Pony, thinking he was trying to take Toby away from him, clutched the doll tighter, glaring up at his lover.

Soda just wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and hugged him tighter, whispering in his ear, "What am I hearin' 'bout you droppin' out?"

"I'm goin' to take care of our baby. I don't got time for school." Pony said, clutching Toby even tighter. Toby let out a little cry. Pony loosened his grip on the doll, looking down at him worriedly, actually looking scared as if he'd possibly hurt him.

Soda looked down at his lover. "Pony, sweetheart, instead o' takin' care of a doll, wouldn'tcha want a real baby?"

Ponyboy looked up at Sodapop in awe. "A real baby? Soda, you can barely stand Toby!" He said.

"That's not true." Soda said before continuing, "I just can't get attached to a doll like you can." He flashed the 14-year-old his famous movie-star grin.

Pony blushed a deep shade of pink and quickly pecked his lover on the lips before Darry walked into the room.

Soda and Pony both turned their heads towards Darry, who was standing in the doorway.

"I guess I won't drop out…" Pony decided, looking down at Toby, who cooed. Darry sighed in relief, and Soda smiled, knowing he had gotten to him.


	7. Chapter 7

Pony woke up from the nap he had taken, smiling down at the sleeping baby snuggled in his arms. Toby must have sensed that Mommy was awake because his eyes fluttered open slowly.

"Hi, baby.." Pony said softly, smiling wider. Sodapop remained asleep because he had a hard day at work. He was covered in grease. Ponyboy rolled his eyes, seeing Soda got grease all over the bed again.

"Let's go for a walk, Toby. You and Mommy need some alone time, huh, baby boy?" Pony crooned softly, getting up and carrying Toby out to the living room. He grabbed a blanket and wrapped Toby in it, kissing the top of the baby's head. Toby seemed to smile a bit.

"Pony." He heard behind him. Turning around, he saw Darry.

"Listen, I'm sorry for yellin' at ya like that a few minutes ago." Pony just nodded his head, still a tiny bit pissed off.

Darry decided to change the subject to avoid making things awkward. "So, uhh… about that 100 percent on your theme…" The 20-year-old smiled a bit. "I'm proud of ya, little buddy."

Pony smiled brightly. That was all he ever wanted to hear from his oldest brother. "Thanks, Darry." He responded, going over and hugging Darry with one arm.

"So what time are ya gonna be back?" Darry asked as Pony opened the door and started to walk down the steps.

"I'll be back around 7 or so! See ya!" The 14-year-old called over his shoulder as he opened the gate and walked down the sidewalk.


	8. Chapter 8

Pony walked in through the door, Toby clutched tightly in his bleeding arm. His lip looked busted badly, and his eye had turned a dark shade of purple.

He had what looked like one of the baby's arms in his hand. Darry quickly rushed over and took the doll into the kitchen to fix the arm. Soda ran up to Pony and sat him down on the couch, a scared look on his face.

"Oh my gosh, sweetie, are you okay?!" He asked worriedly, inspecting his lover from head to toe. He went into the kitchen and grabbed some gauze for his arm.

"I'm fine, Soda… where's Toby?" Pony asked, trying to look into the kitchen as Soda wrapped his arm up in gauze.

"Darry's fixin' up his arm right now, hon." He said. Pony pouted a bit, but smiled as soon as Darry walked out to the living room with Toby, the arm fixed as if it was never torn off in the first place.

Pony immediately got up from the couch and grabbed the baby from his oldest brother. He smiled and kissed Darry's cheek before sitting back down by Soda and giving his full attention to Toby. Darry grinned from ear-to-ear, seeming to blush a little.

"Pony, quit worryin' 'bout Toby for a minute! You're hurt!" Soda said, grabbing his brother's hurt arm. He wrapped his arm in the gauze as Pony fought with him.

"I'm fine, Soda!" Pony snapped, shooing Soda away. Soda got up from the couch and walked into the bedroom.

Pony's full attention was on the doll. He waited for an animated reaction from it, but nothing happened. "Toby, how ya feelin', baby?" He asked.

Darry gave his youngest brother a weirded-out look before going into his and Soda's bedroom.

"Ya feelin' better, sweetheart?" Pony asked again. The baby's eyes suddenly snapped open and he let out a loud cry, startling his 'mommy'.

Soda walked back out and sat down next to Pony again, pulling his lover into his lap. Pony barely even realized Soda was there. He just stared and stared at the baby, as if waiting for it to talk.

"Why ain't he talkin' yet, Soda?" He asked.

"Baby, he ain't growin' or developin'. He's a doll." Soda said, resting his chin on his lover's shoulder. "If you wait a few years, we can have a kid. You have to graduate, though."

"He ain't a doll, Soda, quit callin' 'im that." Pony snapped. Soda chuckled and kissed Pony's cheek. He looked down at the doll nestled in Pony's arms, wondering how in the hell his lover became so attached.

Ponyboy rocked the doll in his arms, softly singing a lullaby as if Toby could hear him. Soda still couldn't figure out how he'd become attached.

He kissed his lover's neck. "Baby, if you put that doll down, then we can make a baby of our own. We could raise him together."

"How many times do I gotta tell ya, Sodapop?! Toby ain't a damn doll!" Pony snapped.

"Fine. Put Toby down and we'll make him a sibling." Soda was trying anything at this point.

"Okay…" Pony smiled, setting the doll down on the couch and kissing his forehead before following Soda into the bedroom.

Soda pulled Pony down on the bed, glad he put the doll down. The 16-year-old couldn't believe his 14-year-old lover/brother was so open to the idea of having a kid.


	9. Chapter 9

1 MONTH LATER…

~*~*~

"Alright, boys, it's time to give Toby back." Darry said, walking into the living room. Pony cradled the sleeping doll in his arms, pretending that he didn't hear his oldest brother.

"Pony." Darry said, strolling up to him.

Ponyboy looked up at him. "What?"

"It's time to give him back." He repeated, placing a hand on the 14-year-old's shoulder.

"No! He's my son!" Pony argued, clutching Toby closer. Soda walked out into the living room and sat next to his lover.

"Find out yet?" He whispered into his lover's ear. Pony shook his head. Soda gestured for him to go and check. Pony, still clutching the doll, walked into the bathroom.

Soda was excited, yet nervous at the same time. He followed Pony into the bathroom.

Pony picked up the test and gasped. Soda waited anxiously. Finally, Pony nodded his head, confirming that he, in fact, was pregnant.

Soda smiled wide and started getting giddy. He wrapped his arms around Pony's waist and kissed him passionately. He was going to be a dad, a real dad, not a father to a plastic doll.

Darry walked in. He froze in his tracks, eyes wide.

Soda slowly pulled away from Pony before realizing his brother was standing there. "O-Oh.. uh.." He stuttered.

"What the hell is goin' on in here?!" Darry asked. Ponyboy accidentally dropped the pregnancy test. Darry automatically picked it up and looked at it. His eyes widened as he looked at it.

"W-What. The. Hell. Is. Goin'. On. Here?!" Darry repeated, anger obvious in his voice.

"D-Darry… I'm pregnant…" Pony stuttered, shifting the doll to his other arm.

"HOW THE HELL ARE YOU PREGNANT?!" Darry screamed, throwing the test in the garbage.

Soda stood protectively in front of his lover, not wanting to risk him or the baby getting hurt. "Darry, calm down before you hurt my baby!" Soda said. His eyes widened as he realized what he said.

"Y-Your kid?! YOU GOT YOUR LITTLE BROTHER PREGNANT?!" Darry's voice continued to rise.

"Darry, you're gonna wake Toby up!" Pony shouted, holding Toby close.

"PONY, WE HAVE BIGGER THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT OTHER THAN THAT GODDAMN DOLL!" Darry snapped. Pony teared up, sitting down on the toilet seat.

"Don't you yell at him! He's goin' through a lot!" Soda snapped at his older brother. He looked over at his lover to make sure he was okay.

Darry was turning red in the face at this point. He lunged over and grabbed the doll, trying to take it out of Pony's grip.

Soda stood in front of his younger brother, which made him get hit when Darry lunged. Soda fell to the floor and hit his head, letting out a yelp of pain.

"Soda!" Pony called, running out of the bathroom with the baby clutched in his arms, Darry furiously chasing after him.

Soda's head pounded and he shakily stood up to follow his brothers. "DARRY, BE CAREFUL! HE'S PREGNANT!"

Darry stopped, forgetting all about why he was mad. He started to tear up a bit, thinking about how he had always dreamed of a nephew or niece.

Soda sighed and mumbled, "He's more hormonal than Pony." Pony looked over at Darry, suddenly feeling sorry for his oldest brother.

He was about to go over and say something, but before he could do so, Darry pulled him in for a hug. "I'm sorry, Pony… I'm so sorry…"

Soda looked at the two, confused. He had no clue what had just happened, he was just glad the two weren't fighting.

"It's okay." Pony said sympathetically.

"Mama…" They all suddenly heard.

Soda was slightly startled. "What the hell?! Don't tell me the doll talked! I MEAN, IT'S A DOLL!" He said. He thought he'd lost his mind.

"Mama!" They all heard again. Pony looked down at Toby. The doll's lips curved into a smile.

"That's a doll, Darry! How the hell is it talkin'?!" Soda looked at Darry. Darry just shrugged. Pony, however, had a huge grin on his face at the moment as he gazed down at his 'baby.' Toby stared back, the smile on his tiny face just as big as his mommy's.

"I must be dreamin'!" Soda said, pinching himself. He looked at Pony and sighed a little. "Baby, you're going to have to quit focusin' on that doll and start worryin' about our real, livin', breathin' baby."

"Toby just said his first word, though, Soda!" Pony protested.

"It's a goddamn doll, though!" Soda argued back. His face slowly contorted to regret, however, once he saw the hurt in his lover's eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, Pony.." Soda said, walking over to his lover. Pony kissed his lips to show that he accepted his apology.

"You do realize we have to focus more on our baby now, right?" Soda asked, gently setting his hands on Pony's stomach. Pony nodded, smiling.

"Dada!" Soda and Pony glanced down at the doll nestled in Pony's arms, a slight smile tugging at the corners of Soda's lips.

Pony smiled wide and kissed Soda's cheek. "Baby, can we focus more on our baby?"

"Which one?" He asked jokingly.

THE END


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